Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

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"Hmm, very good." Baili Xiao didn't comment much on the "wine," after all, it wasn't his area of ​​expertise, and... there just happened to be something he needed to tell Latifa: "Latifa, you and I will go to the meeting with the Gan City management tomorrow, just the two of us."

“Okay… Huh?” Latifa responded first, then seemed to realize the meaning behind Baili Xiao’s words, and made a surprised sound: “Teacher Baili, what did you just say? Tomorrow’s meeting…”

“Yes.” A smile played on Baili Xiao’s lips as he put down his wine glass and looked directly into Latifa’s astonished eyes. “The Gancheng management wants to discuss cooperation with me, which is nothing more than the field of anime and manga. I want to bring Gan Hui in as well, so that the amusement park will not suffer from the previous slump, and your health will be guaranteed!”

Latifa stared blankly at Baili Xiao's smile—in her heart, she had originally thought that after this concert, Gan Hui and Teacher Baili would no longer have any contact... After all, when Baili Xiao first came to Gan Hui, he only promised to "increase the number of tourists"...

Now that Baili Xiao has fulfilled his initial promise, it would be perfectly reasonable for him to leave with his team. Although Latifa really wanted to say "Please continue to help us" deep down, she couldn't. She had asked Teacher Baili again and again; how could she do such a thing?

(Teacher Baili has done a great job. The rest is up to me to work hard!) Latifa has comforted herself with this excuse countless times, but... but according to what Teacher Baili just said, he won't give up on Gan Hui?

Seemingly noticing the reason for Latifah's dazed expression, Baili Xiao's smile widened, deliberately adopting a villainous stance, his words laced with threat: "Latifah, Gan Hui's previous repairs and reconstruction cost me a lot of my savings! You don't expect me to just leave without a second thought after this concert, do you?"

"Pfft!" Amused by Baili Xiao's words, Latifa's eyes curved into crescents. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and bowed slightly to him: "Teacher Baili, I understand. I will lead Gan Hui to work hard to pay back the money!"

Chapter 0203 The Abandoned [Majestic and Grand]! (First Update, Please Subscribe)

The bonfire party lasted until after 1 a.m. Everyone in the studio, as well as Gan Hui's mascots, put aside all their worries and wholeheartedly enjoyed the moment. The four fairies sang and danced with the Muse group, presenting the concert song "Even though we have nothing" to everyone present. Many people cried while singing, and of course, many more smiled brightly along with the song.

The light from the campfire gradually died down, and the empty grassland returned to its usual silence. The night was deep, but the lights were still on in Baili Xiao's dormitory.

"Splash." The faint sound of water came from the bathroom. Kasumigaoka Utaha, wearing a white bath towel, sat on the edge of the bed, gently drying her wet hair. Her red eyes first glanced at the figure that was faintly visible in the bathroom not far away, and the corners of her mouth slightly raised with a joyful smile. Then she looked around the not-so-large room and finally settled on Hyakuri Xiao's desk.

On this extremely ordinary wooden desk, Baili Xiao completed all the planning and design for her new book launch and the Muse concert. At this moment, numerous A4 sheets of paper were scattered haphazardly across the surface, each covered with different writings or drawings—some were sketches of costume designs, others were drafts of lyrics and melodies...

"Honestly, he doesn't even bother to tidy up." Though she complained, a hint of heartache flickered across Kasumigaoka Utaha's face—she had seen Hyakuri Akira hunched over his desk more than once, intently focused on something—and each time she saw this, she felt an overwhelming mix of pride and worry...

She feels proud that "this man is my brother, and also the person I love," but at the same time, she worries, "Will my brother's body really be able to handle this?"

Slowly rising and walking to her desk, Kasumigaoka Utaha neatly gathered the A4 sheets of paper and placed them in different locations according to their categories—"Illustration Sketches," "Costume Designs," and "Lyrics and Music Drafts"—each category was clearly separated.

That's why, when she saw an A4 sheet that clearly belonged to the "lyrics and music drafts" and clearly marked with the four characters "威风堂堂" (majestic and dignified), her small hand, which was about to put it down, froze slightly and stopped in mid-air.

With her red eyes quickly scanning the lyrics and melody on the paper, Kasumigaoka Utaha was certain that this was a song that was already in the "composition completed" stage, but... for some reason, Hyakuri Akira did not add it to the setlist for the Muse concert!

"What's wrong? What are you looking at?" Just as she was slightly stunned, Baili Xiao asked softly from behind. He walked slowly to her side and glanced at what she was holding. Kasumigaoka Utaha was not sure if it was her imagination, but she could clearly feel Baili Xiao's stiffness.

With a meaningful chuckle, her red eyes turned to Baili Xiao, who was staring intently into them. Kasumigaoka Utaha waved the papers in her hand: "Brother, isn't this song finished? Why don't you let Muse sing it? Or... what's the reason you don't want Muse to sing it?"

"Uh..." Unable to hide her awkward smile, Baili Xiao scratched her hair and shrugged helplessly: "Well, as you can see, the lyrics are a bit... too explicit. Muse and the others aren't suitable to sing this song, so..."

"So?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile widened as she took a step forward, pressing her body close to Baili Xiao's. She tilted her head slightly to look at the embarrassment on his face. "So you're giving up on this song? That's such a shame... Brother, would you like to hear me sing it for you?"

As she spoke, her fair and slender arm quietly reached out and gently pressed the light switch.

With a soft "snap," the room plunged into darkness. However... it would probably be a very long time before bedtime, right? After all, Baili Xiao had to "diligently" "teach" Kasumigaoka Utaha how to sing "Majestic Grandeur"!

...

The following morning at 10:00 AM, at the residence of Gan Huila Tifa in Red Maple City.

After pouring tea into everyone's cups, Latifa carefully sat down next to Baili Xiao, her azure eyes secretly observing the two middle-aged men sitting opposite her—very formally dressed in suits, sitting upright on the sofa, and an atmosphere that had become incredibly serious even before they spoke; everything about them made Latifa feel suffocated...

0 ····Requesting flowers···· ·········

Seemingly sensing her nervousness, the middle-aged man who was closer to Baili Xiao smiled slightly: "Let me introduce myself. I am Angus, the mayor of Gan City. This is my assistant, Clifford. We are here to discuss a collaboration with Teacher Baili... Teacher Baili, may I ask who this gentleman is?"

“Latifa, manager of Gan Hui Amusement Park.” Taking a small sip of his tea, Baili Xiaoqiang looked at her with renewed focus—he had been “busy” until late last night, resulting in insufficient sleep. “I don’t know much about officialdom, so I’ll skip the formalities. Regarding this negotiation, what kind of outcome do you want to achieve? In other words… what do you want me to do? Based on your requests, I will look for possibilities that are mutually beneficial for both of us, so… I don’t want you to hide anything, please tell me the truth!”

 …

“This…” Angus was taken aback, exchanging a glance with his assistant Clifford. Both of them gave a wry smile. “Professor Baili is indeed straightforward. It was rather impolite of us to use those bureaucratic tricks in front of you… Our initial intention to cooperate with you is actually very simple—Gan City, as a third-tier city ranked low in the Kingdom of Great Britain, lacks a key industry to support its own development. If things continue like this, no matter how much time passes, Gan City will remain in its current state… As the mayor of Gan City, I don’t want to be mediocre and just guard this land, that’s all!”

"We hope to collaborate with Mr. Baili because we value your enormous potential for development. Your influence and that of your studio in the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) field, and even in the idol and film industries, are steadily increasing. With my years of experience, I can naturally see that Mr. Baili's progress cannot stop here! We want to make an investment in Mr. Baili, and what we're investing in... is the entire Amagi City!"

P.S.: Regarding the group issue, the Easter egg in chapter 0134 is quite obvious (lol)! — Fan

Chapter 0204 Latifa's Request! (First Update, Please Subscribe)

"Is that so?" Bai Lixiao's expression remained unchanged, but she had already made up her mind. Akane Kousaka had already analyzed this meaning before. Although Bai Lixiao was busy with concerts and such, she still thought a lot about this issue when she relaxed. She nodded slightly, put down her teacup, and stared intently at Angus: "Mayor, first of all, let me express my gratitude for your initiative in contacting us... I just heard your request, Mayor. I wonder... have you considered developing Amagi into a tourist city?"

“Yes, just as Teacher Baili said—we’ve tried everything, whether it’s a tourist city or a city with heavy or light industry, but without exception, we’ve all failed!” Angus gave a bitter smile, and Baili Xiao could even see a deeply hidden despair in his smile: “Gancheng now is filled with the remnants of failed transformation, half-dead light industry, heavily polluting heavy industry, and almost no outsiders come to Gancheng for tourism… Looking back, I really have failed…”

Shaking his head with a self-deprecating laugh, Angus quickly regained his previous confidence and authority—for someone who could reach such a high position, failure was not terrible; what was terrible was the fear of trying again and making changes after failure!

"Teacher Baili, it seems you've already made a decision?" Although he didn't believe this young man could come up with a solution in such a short time, the worldly-wise Angus still detected a subtle confidence in Baili Xiao's expression: "Teacher, please feel free to speak up. Whether it's useful or not, any suggestion is good. After all, we came here to cooperate with you..."

"Well, it's not really a brilliant suggestion." Baili Xiao smiled slightly, gathering his thoughts: "I wonder if the mayor would be interested in developing Gancheng into a tourist city focused on the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) industry? You've all seen Gan Hui's success this time; the number of tourists gathered at the concert alone surpasses that of world-class amusement parks!"

"I hope that with the strong support of the management of Amagi, we can build Amagi into a world-class amusement park that is no less than Disney. More importantly, compared to Disney's reputation as a 'children's paradise,' the future Amagi will be the 'absolute domain of the two-dimensional world'! Whether it's the rides or anything else in the park, everything will be filled with two-dimensional elements!"

"In this way, Amagi, which has the reputation of being a 'paradise exclusively for anime and manga fans,' will spread rapidly within the anime and manga community, attracting a large number of people to Amagi. What you need to do, Mayor, is to show these people an Amagi that is completely different from other cities when they first come to Amagi!"

"What does the mayor think of this proposal?" Although the question was tinged with inquiry, Baili Xiao's tone and attitude revealed an undisguised confidence. Angus's brow furrowed slightly before relaxing into a smile: "Although there are countless details to handle, from this general perspective, it's undoubtedly the best solution at present... However, Professor Baili, in your opinion, how should we support Gan Hui Amusement Park?"

“You shouldn’t be asking me this question…” Baili Xiao shook his head slightly, his eyes turning to Latifa beside him. The latter noticed everyone’s gaze, first timidly shifting her eyes away, then forcing herself to look back.

Taking a deep breath, Latifajiao clasped her small hands tightly above her knees, an unprecedentedly resolute light shining in her azure eyes: "Mayor! I hope the city government can provide Gan Hui with the greatest possible convenience, such as 'the construction and use of buildings' and 'the addition of bus routes,' etc. In addition, I also hope..."

At this point, Latifa glanced furtively at Baili Xiao—who was calmly sipping tea to combat drowsiness and hadn't noticed her little gesture. Angus, however, smiled kindly and gestured with his right hand, "Latifa...Manager, if there's anything the municipal government needs your help with, please let us know. As Professor Baili said, only by laying all our needs on the table can we better find points of cooperation..."

“This, this request might be a bit excessive…” Even after Angus said the above, Latifa was still very hesitant. However, she quickly closed her eyes and bowed slightly to him: “Please grant us a large amount of land use rights, Mayor. Even if Gan Hui were fully developed and utilized, it would still be no match for a world-class large-scale amusement park. Therefore… I need a much larger area of ​​land!”

"Land"—this word, regardless of the world or dynasty, is an indispensable, most direct, and most fundamental interest!

Therefore, as soon as Latifa finished speaking, the entire living room fell into a deathly silence. Angus and his assistant Clifford exchanged bewildered glances, while Baili Xiao looked at Latifa with surprise and admiration in his eyes—based on his understanding of Latifa, it was absolutely impossible for her to have thought of the demand for "land" without any preparation. In other words, after the banquet last night, Latifa probably didn't sleep a wink, thinking all night about "what kind of request should be made?"

“The land is a bit difficult to handle…4.9…” Angus looked troubled. Even though he was the real decision-maker in Gan City, it was not an easy task to grant a large tract of land to Gan Hui Amusement Park. Just as he hesitated and fell into thought, Baili Xiao’s sudden words completely shattered his concerns!

"If Mayor Latifa can meet the conditions proposed, I, as the head of the [China] Studio and the largest shareholder of Gan Hui Amusement Park, will do my utmost to assist Gan City in its development! In as little as six months or as long as two years, we will definitely build a top-tier city that ranks among the best in the world!"

P.S.: Something came up at home yesterday, so there was only one update. I'll try my best to make up for it tonight, as much as I can... (I'm extremely desperate to survive!).

Chapter 0205 Returning to the Paradise of Anime! (First Update, Please Subscribe)

"That's roughly how it is. The management agreed to all of Latifa's demands and also injected a large amount of funds into the amusement park in the name of Gan Cheng for development purposes. In other words, although Latifa is still the main person in charge of Gan Hui Amusement Park, it is now essentially a state-owned and private joint venture."

On the flight to the holy land of anime and manga, Baili Xiao rubbed his temples wearily, leaned back against the seat, and closed his eyes to rest. Everyone could see his exhaustion. Although some wondered, "He was fine before, why is he like this after just one night?" no one wanted to press Baili Xiao for answers at this moment. They hoped that Baili Xiao could get more rest, even if it was just for a second!

However, Baili Xiao clearly had no intention of taking a "short nap": "In this way, Gan Hui won't be in the same situation as before, and in exchange, my plans will have to be slightly tilted towards Gan Cheng... Well, it's really just one more partner, not a big problem..."

"Thank you, Baili-kun." A soft thank you came from a seat not far away. Akane Kousaka turned her head slightly to look at Baili Xiao's profile. The latter did not open his eyes, but simply waved his hand slowly: "There's no need for thanks. Both the new book launch and the concert were on the original agenda. It's just that the venue was changed to Gan Hui... If I had to say, I should thank you, Ms. Kousaka. After all... now we essentially have our own convention center and concert venue. At least we don't have to rent from others anymore!"

He paused slightly, then slowly opened his eyes and looked at everyone in the studio around him and behind him: "This vacation, whether it was traveling to other places or going to amusement parks, we've done everything we wanted to do. Now that we're back, we'll be facing a new round of work!"

"Huh?! This is a vacation?!" Eriri stared at Baili Xiao with wide eyes, gesturing incredulously with her small hands in front of her. "Ever since I came with you, I've been either drawing giant concert posters or supervising the mascots' work! No matter how you look at it, this is 'work,' right? What kind of vacation is this?!"

As one of the first few people to come to Ganhui with Baili Xiao, Eriri did indeed do a lot of work, just as she said. Compared to Kasumigaoka Utaha, who did nothing all day but stare at Baili Xiao and occasionally ask, "Brother, are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat," she really did a lot more...

However, "drawing illustrations for only one hour a day and spending the rest of the time shopping like crazy in Amagi" and "supervising the construction of the mascots while tirelessly riding roller coasters and other amusement park rides over and over again"... this kind of work doesn't seem to be associated with "tiring" at all, right?!

"Sawamura-kun, why didn't you bring those things you bought before?" Before Baili Xiao could answer Eriri's question, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was sitting next to him, spoke up first: "Didn't those things take you a lot of time? You just threw them away so easily?"

"How could that be! Those were my biggest finds in Amagi! They took me so much time!" Eriri scoffed, haughtily raising her chin. "The moment I knew I was leaving, I packed them up and mailed them back. They should be at the studio by now, right?... Why are you asking this?"

Eriri finally realized something was wrong—why would Kasumigaoka Utaha, her arch-rival, care about her for no reason? There must be something fishy going on!

"Oh, it's nothing. I just suddenly wanted to ask. After all, you spent a lot of time buying those things. It must have been tiring work, right?" Kasumigaoka Utaha pulled her sunglasses down slightly, revealing half of her red eyes. She glanced meaningfully at Eriri, then sat up straight and sighed softly, deliberately repeating in a voice Eriri could hear, "Well, it really is tiring work..."

"Kasumigaoka Utaha! You..." It's said that a cunning and manipulative person can overcome a tsundere, and Kasumigaoka Utaha certainly has Eriri completely under her thumb, in every way...

Noticing the gazes cast upon her by Akane Kousaka and the others—everyone was barely suppressing their laughter as they watched her bicker with Utaha Kasumigaoka, a routine that had practically become a daily occurrence in the studio—Eri blushed slightly, crossed her arms over her chest (she was so flat-chested that even pressing her arms down didn't cause any wrinkles in her clothes!), and turned her face away to mutter a defense of herself.

"I was just joking with Baili Xiao, of course I won't complain about the work afterwards... In fact, everyone who has read the first volume of [Your Name] is looking forward to the second and final volume! But when will you, Kasumigaoka Utaha, finish writing the second volume? We all have to wait for your manuscript before we can start drawing illustrations!"

A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of her lips—Eri's "counterattack" was far too weak, so Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile was full of "relaxation": "You don't need to trouble yourself with that. During your time in Gan Hui, did you really think I didn't do anything? The second volume of 'Your Name' is almost finished. This time, you, who are in charge of the illustrations, are far behind me!"

"!!!" Not only Eriri, almost everyone looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha in surprise. Even Shiina Mashiro, who was in the back row near the window, opened her hazy eyes—she wanted to see what happened after "Your Name," she really wanted to see it!

"Shi-chan? It's really finished?" Machida Sonoko's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement despite her doubt. "When will it be released? Send me a copy when you get back. I've been itching to see it again ever since the ending of the first volume!"

“I can show you the rest of the story, but…” Kasumigaoka Utaha turned to look at Hyakuri Akira, who smiled slightly and continued, “However, you must keep the plot a secret, because the release of Volume 2 must coincide with the release of the animated film ‘Your Name’!”

P.S.: Extra update today, as compensation! Please vote with monthly tickets! (Any tips? I'll crossdress and do it!)

Chapter 0206 Over 100 Million Views in One Day! (Two Updates, Please Subscribe)

"Izumi, Sagiri, good afternoon." Kato Megumi, dressed in a cool summer outfit, gently pushed open the studio door and walked into the living room. As she took off her white sun hat, her gaze fell on Izumi Hashima and Sagiri Izumi, who were sitting close together in the living room—their cheeks were close together, their eyes fixed on their phones, their faces full of surprise: "What are you looking at?"

"Sister Hui, come quick!" Hashima Izumi didn't look up, but waved in the direction where Kato Megumi was. The latter smiled slightly, a hint of curiosity rising in her heart—Hashima Izumi had always given her the impression of being very polite, and this was the first time she had ever seen someone greet her without looking directly at her.

(It must be something important, right?) Thinking this to herself, Kato Megumi sat down next to the boatman on the island of Hashima and immediately looked at her phone screen—the screen, which wasn't very big, was playing a video of Muse's first concert.

"What? Didn't you two watch the live stream?" Kato Megumi asked softly, a hint of doubt in her voice. She frowned slightly—as a member of the studio, she didn't think the two of them would do anything else during such an important time.

"Of course I watched it! It's just..." Hashima Izumi scratched her hair sheepishly and held her phone in front of Kato Megumi: "Megumi-nee, didn't you watch it a second time? The Muse concert was so amazing. Sagiri and I have watched it at least ten times since it ended yesterday... If we weren't so sleepy, we probably would have stayed up all night watching it now, right?"

At this point, Hashima Izumi noticed Kato Megumi's surprised look and quickly waved her hand to defend herself: "Megumi-nee, don't think it's just the two of us like this. In fact... there are many people online who have watched it more times than we have! Just last night's views have already exceeded 100 million! Not to mention today~!"

"One hundred and forty million!" Before Hashima Shirai could finish speaking, Izumi Sagiri, sitting on the other side, announced a shocking number—one hundred and forty million! What does this mean?

Based on a peak of eight million viewers for the live stream, each person would need to click on the "concert recording video" 17.5 times after the live stream ended to reach that terrifying number of views!

Of course! The figure of eight million is just an ideal scenario. In reality, the number of people watching the video is definitely not that many, which means that... to achieve such a number of views, the number of times each person watches the video must be much more than the number "17.5"!

Thinking of this, Kato Megumi couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly—after the concert, she had only contributed "one" video view, and even that was a "skipped-view"... Compared to rousing songs like "Forbidden Borderline" and "Gokuraku Jodo," she preferred ballads like "Sakura Sakura, I Want to See You" and "Even Though We Have Nothing"...

(Hmm... the supporters' enthusiasm is really something...) Kato Megumi couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Her interest grew, and she quietly straightened her posture, her legs pressed together. Her gaze, along with that of Hashima Izumi, fell on the screen: "Why are there so many views? The Muse concert was indeed wonderful, but... it's hard to imagine that in almost a day it would become like this..."

Whether it was her imagination or not, Kato Megumi could sense that both Hashima Izumi and Izumi Sagiri stiffened slightly after she asked the question.

"Ah, well, about this question..." Hashima Izumi chuckled awkwardly, looking at Izumi Sagiri with a pleading gaze: "Sagiri, why don't you answer this?"

Izumi Sagiri nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and stared directly at Kato Megumi with a strange light in her blue eyes: "It's simple, because the songs of Muse... are poisonous!"

(Poison?!) Kato Megumi was startled at first, then a deep sense of doubt arose—was this some new internet meme? I don't go online often, and my chat with Sagiri seems to be on a completely different wavelength...

Kato Megumi thought that Sagiri's "poisonous" was some kind of "meme" in the world of anime, but after the latter explained it, she realized that it was just the literal meaning!

The songs of the Muses are addictive! Extremely addictive!

“Anyone who has heard or seen the songs of the Muses cannot resist the urge to ‘watch it again,’ and it is precisely this step that makes them unknowingly fall into its trap!” As Izumi Sagiri spoke, she placed her phone on the table in front of the three of them. Her fair fingertips slid slightly across the screen, zooming in on the video to “~when they were singing [Gokuraku Jodo]”—unlike what Kato Megumi had seen the night before, layers upon layers of scrolling comments appeared on the screen, almost completely obscuring the entire view!

"This?!" Kato Megumi covered her mouth with her small hand, hiding her slightly open mouth due to great surprise. She was not often online and this was the first time she had ever seen a situation where "the entire screen was full of scrolling comments"!

"Megumi-nee, don't be surprised. This is what it looks like after the Nth time we've cleared the comments. If we filled it all up... my phone would probably crash, right?" Hashima Izumi chuckled and patted Kato Megumi on the shoulder—to see the usually calm and collected Kato Megumi with such an expression, it was a win no matter what, wasn't it?

"Hmm." Kato Megumi responded softly, focusing all her attention on the scrolling comments, trying hard to decipher what was being said in the (Good Zhao Good) comments... At the same time, Izumi Sagiri's voice rang out again.

"Leaving aside songs like 'Sakura Sakura, I Want to See You,' the two new tracks, 'Forbidden Borderline' and 'Gokuraku Jodo,' like 'Renai Circulation,' received rave reviews as soon as they were released! And because of their upbeat and energetic music, coupled with their almost addictive, almost maniacal, brainwashing effect, they captured the hearts of almost everyone in just one night... This is why the video was viewed hundreds of millions of times in such a short time! It's also why Muse is called a 'poisonous cult'!"

As she spoke with increasing excitement, Izumi Sagiri forcefully tapped the screen with her fingertip, and with her movement, the video playback abruptly stopped!

Only now could Kato Megumi make out what the densely packed comments on the screen were saying...

Chapter 0207 Bloodbath: The Muse's New Song Washes the Charts! (Third Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets!)

[Newbie, run! DO NOT click on this video! And don't be curious about what happens next! Run! Run! ...You're done for, you can't get out now...]